Jerry Falwell died today. He was a great preacher, a wonderful father, a … oh, who the fuck am I kidding? The guy was an evil, intolerant man, who called the Civil Rights Movement the “Civil Wrongs Movement,” hated blacks and supported segregation, and then went on to hate gays, lesbians, the ACLU, and women who choose to abort their fetuses. For a supposedly Christian man, he led a life of complete hatred, and contributed to the growing divide in this country between people who believe in rational thought and science, and those who prefer to live under the protection of “God’s” blanket.
I’m going to toast to his death tonight. Hope Michelle Malkin finds my blog and lists it on her left-wing vitriol page.
Salon rightly ran an article called “The Stone is Cast“, exonerating left-wing bloggers for verbally pissing on his dead skull. It begins with Falwell’s most famous quote:
Falwell will always be remembered for his “700 Club” comment in the wake of Sept. 11: “I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America, I point the finger in their face and say ‘you helped this happen.'” Even though Falwell later apologized, the damage had been done: A sacred moment had been used for profane purpose.
I pointed out that Falwell never really apologized, so even Salon is being too polite here. Click here to read my letter. Wasn’t gonna let him get away with that just cuz he’s dead.
Even with Falwell gone, dead and begging with St. Peter, the damage he did was permanent.
No pity will find quarters in my soul tonight, I only wish it had been a mass exodus of several of the far right.
But I would like to touch on a small fact Falwell managed to forget. Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1944. Perhaps that did not count? Nor when the WTC was attacked back in 1993, the many embassy and naval attacks the US suffered during Clinton’s reign?
I guess he was only considering “attacks on American soil”, where that means “mainland continental U.S.” 🙂
And I guess the WTC in 1993 doesn’t count as a “real attack” because a Republican wasn’t in office to declare it the beginning of a religious/cultural war.